“That’s one more thing on my plate” is a common refrain one might hear from teachers.
A typical teacher works about 54 hours a week, with just under half of that time devoted to directly teaching students, according to 2022 data from the EdWeek Research Center. The work doesn’t stop after the dismissal bell rings. After school, many teachers still need to attend meetings, call parents, create lesson plans, and grade assignments.
And yet, new responsibilities are constantly being added—at least that’s what it feels like for many teachers.
Education Week asked educators in an informal LinkedIn poll what new responsibilities are sneaking into their jobs. Out of 743 votes, 59% of respondents said mental health support, 26% said heavy data tracking, and 12% said tech troubleshooting. In comments, a handful of educators said “all of the above,” and one even said that there are “too many ‘other duties.’”
Mental health support duties grow as kids struggle with depression
Students’ mental well-being has been a top policy priority for school, district, state, and federal leaders over the past few years, as young people have struggled with record-high rates of depression and anxiety.
That has led to “increasing numbers of students exhibiting severe behavior disorders requiring intensive intervention and data tracking,” said Lisa M. in a comment on the LinkedIn poll.
Indeed, recent EdWeek Research Center polls found an increase in the percentage of educators who reported worsening student behaviors, ranging from minor classroom disruptions to more serious student fights broadcast on social media.
To help curtail some of those problems, at least 33 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools, according to an Education Week tally.
Hundreds of school districts have also sued major social media companies claiming that their products are eroding students’ mental health and forcing schools to devote significant resources to managing the behavioral and academic fallout.
Heavy data tracking consumes a huge amount of time
Data has long been a source of tension between administrators and teachers. Student data—including test scores, attendance records, or classroom observation notes—can inform instruction and help target students who might be falling behind and need intervention. But teachers say the focus on collecting and analyzing data has also added a lot more work to their plates.
Mona H., in a comment on the LinkedIn poll, noted that data tracking is an added responsibility to her educator duties. She has to analyze assessment results to track student and teacher progress, as well as to inform curriculum upgrades.
Teachers do more tech troubleshooting now that most students have digital learning devices
The use of digital devices in classrooms and school buildings is ubiquitous.
Districts accessed an average of 2,982 ed-tech tools during the 2024-25 school year, according to a report from ed-tech company Instructure. Teachers used an average of 50 ed-tech tools, while students used an average of 48 over the course of a school year, the report found.
Most schools also provide each student with a laptop or tablet for instructional use. For many teachers, this has meant adding the tech support hat on top of the other hats they have to wear.
“Tech troubleshooting isn’t really ‘extra’ anymore,” said Miste M. in a comment on the poll. “It quietly eats into planning time, instruction, and recovery time. The real cost isn’t the tech, it’s the interruption. What would actually make tech feel like support instead of a side job?”
